This is the 27th year for Accessory Wholesale inc. business. Sometimes we have to stop and ask, have we learned anything over the last quarter of a century in business? Our business is fashion jewelry and accessoriesplus some really fun items like Mardi Gras and masks. Those familiar with fashion know that it is cyclical. Trends come and go, business build for years and then reverse for years in rollercoaster-like cycles.

How does small business survive that? Our business as a wholesaler depends on the success of small retailers. These are our customers. Some small fashion businesses have found their space in the retail world and are doing very well, while many others may feel the walls closing in with competitions from major retailers as well as taxes, insurance, and everything else including days with problem customers.

Over the last 27 years, we haven’t come up with neat little formulas for guaranteed success, but we have noticed some tactics by successful retailers that seem to work. This blog and the following two will hash out five ideas.

1) LOCATION

How many times have we heard the three most important things that make a business successful are location, location, and location? Sounds simple enough, right? That is until we try to pin down what is the right location. Most areas have shopping destinations that can draw from 25 and more miles away. This is often a mall like the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette, La. or the White Oaks Mall in Springfield, Ill.

These shopping destinations get plenty of traffic, but leases are through the roof. Small business often feels it is giving all the profit to the property owner. I noticed something as a road salesman calling on small fashion businesses. Many successful businesses were in smaller towns away from the shopping destination. They had desirable merchandise and were conveniently close to their customers. Personal service accompanied by a high level of energy made shoppers feel special as well as energized to buy. They were packed with customers when locals needed gifts for those special days like Valentines Day and Mothers Day.

Location and the price of the lease need to be weighed to determine whether sales volume is going to overcome the lease cost.

2) NICHE MARKETS IN JEWELRY & FASHION

The Christmas shopping season is probably the time when small business feels major retailers cutting into their sales more than any other time of the year. Niche markets insulate small business from the onslaught. Most niche markets are an area where the majors simply don’t go.

A few examples will make the point. Since Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans, fleur-de-lis jewelry and accessories have been extremely popular. It is the symbol of the City as well as on the Acadiana flag. Louisiana has rallied around this emblem since the devastation of the Hurricane and it has been in hot demand by the locals. But the only place to find a nice selection is small business. This is a niche market that small business owns.

CAPITALIZING ON LOCAL SCHOOL THEMES

Think about sports. Local high schools and colleges have a following of avid fans. This is a super niche market, especially high schools. Of course manufacturers are not going to produce lines of merchandise for individual high schools, but that is where the ingenuity of small business comes in.

If this were a recipe, school colors and school mascots would be the main ingredients. Decorating an area with colors and the mascot screams “local high school” to your shoppers. Everything from stuffed animals to jewelry and printed shirts creates the story. In jewelry, chokers, mascot pendants, and school color beads can be offered separately so customer can create their own high school jewelry. School color bracelets are also available to fit into the theme. If mascot pendants aren’t available, simply substitute a sports pendant like a football. That with the school color beads will tell the story. Sounds like a lot of creativity and work? Well, there are some easier choices that can add other niche markets.

In some areas, Mardi Gras is huge and this market belongs almost entirely to small business. If “The Greatest Free Show on Earth” is celebrated in your area, take advantage of the enormous retail business done in Mardi Gras items while other parts of the country are recovering from Christmas. If not, you be the shop that introduces this fun celebration to your area.

What makes up an irresistible Mardi Gras selection for retailers? Of course, beads must be included—not cheap throw beads, but specialty beads that consumers will pay money for. Hand-strung Mardi Gras beadsin nice designs and Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold, and green have to be part of the selection. But other colors are often used in beads that have a theme, like crawfish boil, jesters, peppers, seafood, oysters on the half shell, and more.

Novelty hats are also an almost necessary party item. Purple, gold, and green novelty hats again do well for Mardi Gras—headwear like jester hats, sequin tiaras, mad hatters, or crowns. But any crazy hat will be popular for this super party. You need a lot of selection, but not a lot of depth. The market doesn’t end on Ash Wednesday. Festivals, birthday parties, and sporting events are more opportunities for sales in this fun headwear.

Boasare a festive accessory popular with girls—purple, gold, and green for Mardi Gras day, but other colors do very well also. When buying boas, the fullness is determined by weight and a good weight is 55 to 60 grams.

Masks are a major ingredient for Mardi Gras and selection has certainly become more sophisticated over the last few years. Feather masks, both worn with elastic bands and on a stick to be held, continue to provide more breath-taking designs. The sequin mask with a spray of feathers to one side is leading seller year after year. Coque, ostrich, and marabou feathers make a fabulous arrangement in the spray, making these masks extraordinary without being expensive.

The rising star in masks is Venetian style masks. These gorgeous works of art were practically unknown a few years ago and now frequent reality shows, TV, and the movies. The art of mask making had its own guild in Venus during the Renaissance and the growing popularity of Venetian style masks makes it hard to pass up when stocking your store.

Venetian style masks can be affordable with designs like the Arlecchino patchwork patterns of eye masks for men or masks mounted on sticks with lavish ostrich plumes for women.

Exceptional styles include the full-face jester masksin Mardi Gras colors as well as butterfly Venetian style masks for women that are breath-taking. Venetian masks have the history and artistic beauty that will make you proud to include them in your inventory.

Whew! This blog took more time than I expected so we will save two important areas for small business until the next blog—the areas of jewelry for special occasions and seasons plus key niche markets that appeal to a wider audience.

Valentines Day—it comes in the dead of winter, the most frigid month of the year, yet it stirs warm feelings for sweethearts and couples.

A mountain of cards, flowers, and candy are exchanged to show sweethearts and spouses how much they are loved. Yet small business has to love Valentine’s Day even more with total sales reaching 9.3 billion in 2011 according to an About.comarticle.

HOW DID VALENTINES DAY COME ABOUT?

How did it all begin? The history of Valentines Day is rather confusing. The name comes from the feast of St. Valentine that falls on February 14; at least it did until the revision of The General Roman Calendar of feast days in 1969. Prior to that, February 14 was actually the fest day for two St. Valentines—One from Rome and the other from Terni, Italy.

It’s the one from Rome that is most likely linked to the romantic theme of Valentines Day. Legend says that Emperor Claudius II cancelled all wedding and engagements in Rome because he felt married men were less likely to serve in the Roman Legion. St. Valentine secretly married Christian couples and when discovered, was condemned to death by Claudius. Another legend states he miraculously healed his jailer’s daughter of blindness. They continued to visit him in prison and before his execution he sent her a note reading, “From your Valentine”.

A more likely origin of Valentines Day is a belief in Britain and France that birds picked their mates on February 14 and according toThe Catholic Encyclopediathis is reflected in Chaucer’s Parliament of Foules that reads:

For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF VALENTINES DAY

While the origin of Valentines Day is uncertain, there is no question about its importance to small business–Over 1 billion of candy sold, over 190 million cards, and 25% of the annual sales of flower shops. Best of all, small business is getting a large share of this business.

What about fashion jewelryand accessory shops? They have a very important part to play. Think about it. Flowers wilt in a week, candy is soon gone, and cards end up in the drawer. But fashion jewelry provides the gift that lasts. Gifts that go into the jewelry box will be there as a reminder every time it is opened to retrieve an accessory. Granted, fashion jewelry will not outpace cards, candy, or flowers for Valentines Day gifts, but it is the great add-on gift that does not perish. It is the meaningful accessory that stirs feeling every time it is put on.

POPULAR FASHION JEWELRY FOR VALENTINES DAY GIFTS

What fashion jewelry is most relevant for the occasion? Every year we see a swell of business in crystal heart brooches, especially brooches with red crystals. This fashion jewelry speaks for itself as it makes a shimmering statement of love. Four styles share the limelight and all have noticeable size and plenty of glimmer.

Cupid pins and combinations of cupid and hearts transmit the same feelings with toned down drama. These cute pins find appeal for all ages.

Filigree heart lockets are also lifetime keepsakes with a classic design. The puffy hearts have matching earrings and the quality is superb, crafted by “Best Brand”, a leader in fashion jewelry quality.

Usually men are shopping for Valentines jewelryfor their sweethearts or wives and often they are not comfortable with buying Valentines jewelry and need your help. The right item depends of the receiver’s personality and age. Many younger women prefer the look of sterling silver in bracelets or earrings. Again “Best Brand” does an excellent job in this area. Many of his creations are dimensionally stamped from a thin sheet of steel, sealed, plated silver, and polished for a finished product that even a jeweler can mistake for sterling. Why? Because this quality manufacturer has taken the time to craft fashion jewelry identical to the steps taken for fine jewelry.

A final consideration for Valentines jewelry is rhinestone. Rhinestone heart necklaces see a real boost of sales in February. Sliding on a chain, these rhinestone hearts are easy to wear with outfits throughout the year and the recipient will never forget where it came from.

So this opens up other areas we maybe haven’t thought about. Moms have an easy solution. We can cheat by going to the Mothers Day selection of jewelry and choose hearts specifically made for Mom. Most are again made by “Best Brand” with that same high quality reported above. Mix some of these in your Valentines Day presentation. You may have no competition for such specialized Valentines Day jewelry and you know it will always sell for Mothers Day if there is any inventory left.

For friends, there is a superb gift that is also very practical—sculptured pewter writing penswith a dimensionally raised design that says “Best Friends”. Sell-through is no problem here either because we are going into a peak wedding season and these make wonderful bridesmaid gifts.

Add some decorations and display Valentines jewelry and gifts together to tell a story. Keeps a jump on all special occasions coming up, arranging each one together in a location to tell a story. Soon shoppers will realize your business is the go-to location for unique special occasion gifts.

Did you notice the emphasis this year on supporting small business in Christmas shopping? Conventional wisdom says this is smart because small business is the backbone of the American economy. But how much does putting out the message help the Christmas season for small fashion businesses, especially when they are always competing with big box companies?

A far more effective way to draw consumers to small business is offering the fashion accessories that shoppers trust small retailers for far more than they trust the majors. We discovered 12 categories that do just that and covered the first nine in the last two blogs. Now let’s look at the last three, which are in the holiday or the formal jewelry and accessories area.

Restaurants, clubs, and ballrooms offer special dining and entertainment every New Year’s Eve. This gives couples the opportunity to dress up and enjoy a romantic evening out. Women go shopping for the knockout apparel that will turn heads that night and plenty of retailers will be competing for the sales. But accessorizing the dresses is left mainly to small business because they have the abundant options to make the perfect match for the outfit.

Rhinestone necklace sets will be high on the shopping list for these consumers. Nothing seems more traditional than rhinestone for New Year’s Eve, but most major retailers have a very limited selection. It’s small business that has showcases of options because they specialize in the glitzy look all year. Yes, when New Year’s Eve is gone for another year, small business will have the glamorous jewelry for proms, bridal, pageant, and balls while the majors are changing their showcases to a casual look.

Small retailers offer the traditional looks that many women are comfortable with as well as the edgy designs that are rising in fashion. This season look for the glamorous looks in rhinestone that you would expect in the diamond jewels of royalty. Designs fit for a queen, grace the neck with lavish crystals surrounded by smaller rhinestones. This tasteful extravagance is the ballroom look for this New Years Eve.

When we think of rhinestone jewelry, sets crafted from rhinestone chain come to mind. This look actually never existed before World War II because the machine to produce the rhinestone chain hadn’t been invented yet. Before that, rhinestone jewelry was limited to handset stones that we call crystal jewelry today. And these crystal sets are back in a big way because of the fashion trend of statement necklaces. This has carried over into formal jewelry and crystal necklace setsdeliver with larger stones and bold statements.

With bracelets so big in trends, we can’t overlook crystal braceletsthat add a glamorous accessory to the wrist. Crystals again provide bold, sparkling designs that will stand out for holiday wear—everything from bracelets inspired by Art Deco to the gorgeous look of The Golden Age of Costume Jewelry. This really adds excitement to a New Year’s Eve ensemble and where do you find it—at the small retailer locations that not only have the wide selection, but provide personal service in putting together the perfect look.

11) GLITZY EARRINGS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Not every holiday dress is going to accommodate a necklace set and this is where earrings really step up to add the glamour. Options abound in glitzy earrings. Remember the chandeliers from a few years ago? Well they never went away. New designs deliver all the sparkle a girl could want with crystals and motion glimmering with every move.

If shoppers prefer something more traditional, the small retailers specializing in formal jewelry will have a host of rhinestone earringsfrom conservative size to shoulder duster length. Cascades, buttons, hoops, linear earrings, colored rhinestones—where else can you find this selection? And where else can shoppers get personal service that will have you leaving satisfied with accessories that really set off an outfit.

Don’t overlook crystal earrings. Small businesses have plenty of options for every hair do and outfit. Crystal earrings can have the very feminine look of filigree settings as well as dramatic buttons, bold drops, or the elegance of glimmering crystals in silver plating with black epoxy contrast—so stunning for New Year’s Eve. To find all these options, shoppers must visit small retailers with a focus on formal jewelry because the big box stores seldom have the variety or the personal service.

If we think back a few years, it seems like there was a new trendy fashion item every Christmas. In 2004 it was initials on accessories, in 2005 sequin handbags, and in 2006 crystal brooches. That year the showcases of department stores sparkled with brooches. Each item faded away except the crystal brooches that seem to be here to stay.

But even crystal brooches faded away in the department store showcases while demand continued. The gorgeous designs draw a lot of inspiration from the first half of the twentieth century—Art Nuevo, Art Deco, and designs from The Golden Age of Costume Jewelry. Brooches make wonderful Christmas gifts for Mom, for office gift exchanges, and for other special occasions like bridesmaid gifts. But the only reliable supplier is small businesses specializing in glitzy and formal jewelry.

Demand is high. According to Google, there are 450,000 searches for per month for brooches and another 673,000 searches for brooch. That means customers are looking for brooches and this is a wonderful opportunity for small business.

A high number of major businesses started as small businesses. Popeye’s Fried Chicken began with one chicken house in Arabi, La. Ugg boots took hold in the US when the Australian, Brian Smith, sold them to surfers in California. This is a small sampling of the importance of small business to the US economy. In addition to being the incubator for larger businesses, small business hires nearly half the US workers and is the engine for employment with 65% of new hires.

So survival of small business is important. Retailers can zero in on areas of fashion where consumers trust them more than they trust the big box companies and consumers need to keep small business in mind when shopping.

In the fast pace of the Christmas buying season, how is small business doing compared to the majors. According to the US Small Business Administration, nearly half the employment in the US and 65% of new hiring comes from small business so their survival is vital to the American economy. There is a push this year to make consumers aware of supporting small business in their Christmas shopping. But ask someone if that reflects in their buying pattern, and most will embarrassingly say no.

If that isn’t working, something is. There are a number of items that consumers simply trust small business for over the majors when shopping. In fashion accessories we covered headwear and accessories in Part I and now let’s move forward withfashion jewelry.

If there is anything radically different on the fashion scene in jewelry this year it would be statement necklaces. These brash works in metal strutted the runways of fashion shows and stunned readers on the covers of fashion magazines. But they are just a little too edgy for department stores and most of the majors.

These retailers like more toned-down style with the classy look often inspired by The Golden Age of Costume Jewelry. The Golden Age began in the 1930s during The Great Depression and extended through the 1960s with the most creative houses in costume jewelry delivering elegant works.

But glamorous jewelry didn’t stand unopposed in that era. A rebellious statement in jewelry countered these fabulous creations with hand-made works, mostly in metals, that expressed art with primitive designs. A look back on this medium collects the works into a category called Mid-Century Modern. No doubt, this had to be some of the inspiration going into the bold statement necklaces created in metals dominating high fashion this fall and winter.

Now where do fashion forward consumers find this look when shopping for themselves or others this Christmas? Certainly not in an upscale department store! No, only small business provides the high fashion look that has been dominating the runways. So when it comes to forward fashion and edgy designs, consumers know small business is the only answer.

Looking back twenty years in the jewelry industry, Providence, Rhode Island was the center of American jewelry manufacturing. Many businesses were cottage industries that specialized in aspect of production—linking, carding, soldering, casting, plating. But competition from China with lower prices and gradually improving quality dismantled the American industry piece by piece.

Then an economic slowdown caused Chinese manufacturers, importers, and major retailers to be extremely cautious. Seasonal jewelrywas a risk because sell through had to occur in a short period of time. So the 2011 Christmas season is woefully short of quality Christmas jewelry that is traditionally part of the holiday spirit. Consumers wear it to work, while shopping, and to family gatherings. It’s as much of Christmas as stockings hanging from the mantle. But with short supply, where do shoppers find this quality Christmas jewelry that delighted everyone in years past?

Small retailers are suddenly the go-to source for classy Christmas jewelry. They do not need a massive inventory to satisfy their clientele and they have an uncanny instinct to find resources.

When consumers want to express the holiday spirit with charm bracelets that have enameled charms in Christmas colors or quality glass bracelets with lampwork beads, most likely the only source is the small retailer.

Classy resin pins in creative designs make wonderful stocking stuffers as well as accent pieces to spread holiday cheer, but this Christmas they may be hard to find outside of small business.

Pendants and earrings stamped from a thin sheet of metal with art and personality that is irresistible—you guessed it—only small business. “Best Brand” is the creator of these works of art and this line of fashion jewelry is so labor intense that it is simply impossible to supply the high quantities the majors would want. Each piece goes through stamping, plating, polishing, and often enameling for color. The finished product makes any consumer proud to give it as a Christmas gift, but this exceptional jewelry will only be found at small retailers.

Actually, Christmas jewelry is only the tip of the iceberg for “Best Brand”. Their selection of pendants and matching earrings covers nearly every look in fashion plus endless themes. The workmanship is so fine that the company proudly has its name impressed on the back of each piece. And we are equally as proud to distribute the line, which we know from sales records goes exclusively to small business.

Just look through the pendant line and you will find something for nearly every event or location. And most pendants have matching earrings. On our site an items number is preceded by PD for pendants and FS for earrings. To find a matching earring simply change the PD to FS and put the code in the search box.

Most businesses buying this line follow a theme. It could be sea life for beach locations, horse and Southwest themes for a western store, motorcycles for a bike shop, baseball for little league fundraisers, and the list goes on. So where do consumers find this exceptional line of fashion jewelry—only at small retail locations.

8 ) LOCAL THEMES AND NICHE MARKETS

This brings us to another excusive of small business–local themes and niche markets. No national retailer will understand local interests as well as the small businesses that live and operate in the area. What a huge advantage this gives to the small retailer!

We are located in South Louisiana. If you watch Swamp People, you get a glimpse of a piece of our culture—Cajun music, crawfish boils, seafood, and the home of seasonings and hot sauces. The themes in jewelry that goes to the heart of locals is not found in major retailers. No, it is small business and often local artists. The same is true in every locale.

Even sports from local high schools that everyone has, to avid fans of college teams provides opportunity for small business. The LSU vs. Alabama game was billed the game of the century. Licensed jewelryfor both teams is found on our web site and small businesses certainly have a market for it with all the dedicated fans these two teams have.

Now back to the local high schools. Small business can rally capitalize on this theme because no manufacturer can afford to produce a line for such a small market. Begin with school colors. Glass bracelets on the site provide a variety of two-tone color and most likely your colors are there. Next use the search to find your mascot in pendants and earrings. If it isn’t there, choose pendants for the sport such as football related pendants and earrings. These slide on chokers found under fashion jewelry. To really make the jewelry pop for your high school add school color. Pick beads in the right color from loose beads on the menu. These beads have a 4mm opening so they can slide on many chokers so make sure some of your chokers will accommodate the beads. Group all the pieces together in your shop to tell a story and sell individually so your customers can build their own look.

This the advantage small fashion retailers have that helps them overcome the heavy hitters in the majors.

The flight to quality in fashion jewelry dates back to the shocking tragedy on September 11, 2001. Suddenly family, prayer, and heroism trumped bling that was the trend of the day. Fashion jewelry went through a worldwide search for art and materials that were classic.

Crystal, Murano style glass, lampwork beads, and gemstone jewelry were some of the mediums that captured that attention of retail customers. But gemstone jewelry continues while interest in other forms of fashion jewelry receded. Department stores still grace their showcases with a few selections of semi precious jewelry, but small business is where consumers will find the extensive selection.

Yes, demand remains high because semi precious jewelry has intrinsic value and unique design that synthetics can’t duplicate. Department stores left lots of change on the table by moving on. Every time I am in a department store, I look at their showcases. Season after season turquoise and coral return. In addition, each season has at least one other semi precious stone included in fashion jewelry–amethyst was a recent example. But demand is exceeding this limited supply and customers that have grown to love the intrinsic beauty of semi precious jewelry know that the only place to really find selection is in a small retail location.

The blog that follows will wrap up the fashion accessories where small business excels with a look at the formal side of jewelry and accessories.

Accessories Magazinereviews trends shaping fashion jewelry and accessories each season based on the fashion shows that preview the coming season. Major fashion stories result from sorting all the tangents of designers crossing the runways. The last blog covered the first two for fall and this blog covers the next two—a dual that seems to contradict each other as fashion statements. Accessories Magazine’s Survival Modeborders on grunge while Ice Queen has a classy majestic look.

ARCTIC SURVIVAL TREND

As different as the trends seem, both find inspiration in the dominant mood of the times—economic uncertainty. Survival mode finds an obvious connection. First impression is the rugged attire of inhabitants of the arctic tundra. Earth tone colors with patches of fur deliver a nomadic appearance. Inspiration is global with Scandinavian prints, African crafts, English tweeds, and Alpine flairs all contributing.

Jewelry combines natural materials with metals for a close-to-earth feeling. Wood and raw gemstones blended with metals create fashion jewelrythat delivers the story. Look for burnished metals in cuffs and bangles as well as braided leather in jewelry.

Trapper hats are a natural fit for these trends well as any headwear that is fur trimmed. Other hats include wide brim wool fedoras, crocheted caps, and wool buckets.

WINTER WHITE FASHION TREND MAKES LUXURIOUS STATEMENT

If the previous trend reflects a rugged response to economic times, this fashion story that Accessories Magazine calls Ice Queen uses a fantasy world to cope with financial stress. Opulence abounds in this trend characterized by shades of opal and winter white. Fur and cashmere add to the extravagance of the fantasy.

Fashion jewelry accessorizes the look with iridescent crystals, unconventional designs of pearls, and opalescent Lucite. Rhinestone or crystal mixed with frosted beads and pearls as bracelets or necklace sets. Jewelry with shades white, cream, and ivory fit into this theme with wintery snow and ice inspiration.

Headwear accessoriesinclude bobby pins with enameled flowers, lace and crocheted headbands or caps, and headwear with sequins, especially iridescent sequins. Winter white in nearly any hat can accompany the look.

This fashion story is easy to accessorize because the jewelry that delivers the sparkle for the trend also provides holiday jewelry that will soon be in demand. Actually, fashion jewelry in crystals, rhinestone, and faux pearls should have a permanent location in shops because of the endless line up of events that call for dressy accessories.

The following blog includes the fashion story for December delivery as well as holiday trends

The runways for every new season provide an abundance of fresh designs that go in endless directions. But each season, Accessories Magazinemakes sense of it all by taking thousands of photos and narrowing down the stand outs for jewelry and accessories to five fashion stories. This blog covers the first two stories with the rest following during the week.

THE SIXTIES REINVENTED IN JEWELRY AND ACCESSORIES

The first fashion story Accessories Magazine calls Mod Remix. Think sixties here with a clean look and innocence that sometimes gets eclipsed by hippie movements and civil disobedience later in the decade. However, the sixties open with Jackie Kennedy as First Lady, the picture of elegance. Camelot opens on Broadway. Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, as well as a fist full of classic westerns are playing on the silver screen. Beach party movies were playing for the teens and even Elvis Presley gets into the act.

This was the era of Lucite and plastic colored bangles and earrings and they are back with this fall fashion trend. Color continues with enameled pins as well as enameled pendants and cuff bracelets—some matching the color blocking of the apparel. Apparel for the trend likes sleek silhouettes and clean shapes. Sunglassesget smaller with cateye or oval lenses in plastic frames. Color is here also.

The use of geometric shapes in jewelry brings back oversized earrings whether elongated cone drops with color or plated metal in geometrics. Geometrics also extend to neckwear with bib necklaces that sometimes incorporate resins.

And what are sixties trends without patent leather—patent leather in shoes, boots, bags, even hair accessories. Patent bucket hats also fit in. The bags are structured often with contrasting handles or piping. Mod Remix is the fun story for fall trends.

THE AUSTERE TAILORED TREND

A continuing debate ponders the question of what inspires fashion trends. One solution offered is zeitgeist—the mood that defines that point of time. It is hard to argue against the zeitgeist of this era being economic insecurity. And that theme spills over into the next fashion trend that Accessories Magazinecalls Tailor Made, making a strong argument for the zeitgeist theory.

The austere look Tailor Made uses shades from camel to brown as well as grey, reflecting the tough times. It is a “no frills” style inspired by menswear with little touches to keep it feminine. What does that mean? Well, accessorizing a double-breasted suit coat drops the tie and replaces it with a bow for neckwear, adding a feminine element. Overall, the look is pragmatic and austere. How do you accessorize it?

Designers showed the trend with necklaces in gunmetal plating using oversized links and chain designs. Some necklaces have heavy design with metal bolts and large beading. Actually, the bold statement necklaces that all over the runway and fashion magazines fit at least three of the trend stories so give them serious thought for fall jewelry.

Necklaces also use bold pearl and meal combinations. Over-sized beads are part of the look and sometimes large glass components, especially in smoke. Metal cuffs and link bracelets accessorize the wrist.

Headwear uses high crown fedoras, fifties fedoras, felt boaters. The puffy ivy caps as seen in the 1974 film, The Great Gatsby, fit this theme.

Next blog continues the fashion stories tht make up the major trends of the fall and winter season.

What is the difference between rhinestone jewelry and crystal jewelry? The terms are often interchanged leaving shopkeepers as well as customers confused. When we look back at vintage rhinestone jewelry before 1940 we see a noticeable change. The look is quite different than we equate with rhinestone jewelry today.

What changed? Well today’s rhinestone jewelryis usually made with rhinestone chain–that is a continuous chain of rhinestone that comes out of a machine with the stones already set. This look is conspicuously missing in the vintage rhinestone jewelry books that cover any era before the 1940s. The reason is the invention of the machine that creates rhinestone chain occurred in Providence, Rhode Island during the forties, the same time America was involved in World War II and saw the rationing of many metals.

The appearance of rhinestone jewelry made from rhinestone chain begins after the War and this is the look that we call rhinestone jewelry today. Machines produced rhinestone chain with stones mechanically set that would roll out continuously and was wound on spools. Designers would buy the spools and develop new designs by cutting and soldering the rhinestone chain. When we talk about rhinestone jewelry today, this is the look that comes to mind.

Now look at a vintage jewelry book showing rhinestone before the forties. The look is gorgeous, but very different. Designers created rings, brooches, bracelets, necklaces and earrings with glued in or prong set stones. The most fabulous designs began appearing in the 1930s introducing an era that continued to the 1960s called The Golden Age of Costume Jewelry.

Legendary costume jewelry houses put their name on fabulous designs and these pieces are collector items today. The era produced greats like Eisenberg, Haskell, Coro, Juliana, Dior, and Trifari. Inspirations from these design houses continue in fashion jewelry today, but we usually refer to this look as crystal jewelry and jewelry made with rhinestone chain as rhinestone jewelry.

TYPES OF RHINESTONE AND CRYSTAL JEWELRY

Are the stones different? Actually, they are not. The quality leader in crystal stones is Swarovski, and they produce rhinestone chain as well with the same process. What sets Swarovski apart? First, they were the pioneer in perfecting machine cut faceted stones. In addition, Swarovski perfected the lead crystal process according to http://www.jsbeads.com/Swarovski-Crystal/ with a finished product that is “32% lead, making the crystal optically pure”. Don’t worry; this lead is not going to release and in any way cause harm to health. Lead crystal is exempt from the lead content rulings.

Czech crystals are another source of crystals that are also used in rhinestone chain. The sparkle and perfection may be a small step below, but the price is cheaper and these stones get more use than the higher priced Swarovski crystals because consumers are very price conscious today.

The third option, used extensively in rhinestone or crystal jewelry from China, is Mideast stones. Sourced from the Mideast from countries like Dubai, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, these rhinestones have high radiance, but dull over time quicker than Czech stones. Mid Eastern stones are a favorite in Chinese manufacturing because they have eye-catching brilliance at a cheaper price than Czech or Austrian crystals.

Finally, Chinese stones are becoming a greater player in rhinestone and crystal jewelry. At first, the stones didn’t provide the quality for sparkling jewelry, but quality is improving for some manufacturers. Those with a keen insight to the market can save money with high quality Chinese rhinestone and crystal, but inferior quality is still in the market from lower end manufacturers.

So the bottom line is rhinestone and crystals are the same stone. The difference is when and how the jewelry is made. Before World War II, the terms are interchangeable because rhinestone chain didn’t exist. After the War rhinestone is more often applied to jewelry made with the chain while crystal usually refers to glued-in or prong set stones that are individually set.

We are in July, it’s hotter than blazes, and consumers don’t want to get out of the air conditioning. When it comes to fashion jewelry, what in the world are retailers going to sell? This two-part blog covers just that. The first part covered needed jewelry for bridal and formal plus gemstone that remains popular season after season. But we saved the best for last. Now we are going to cover the two categories that we have to reorder more than any other in the summer months. The first is niche market jewelry.

NICHE MARKET JEWELRY

Niche market jewelry—what does that mean? Well an example might explain it. In New Orleans, fleur-de-lis jewelryhas been huge since Hurricane Katrina. It is the symbol of the City and a rallying point for citizens that faced a serious disaster. Still, six year later, women from New Orleans never tire of fleur-de-lis jewelry. For Accessory Wholesale, it is an item that requires constant reorder, even in the summer. This is fashion jewelry with more powerful sales than even items in the latest trends.

The point is niche markets are a huge answer to getting customers to buy in the sultry heat. Think about your area and the niche markets for your customers. Football is coming and some states live and die by their college teams. High school teams also have a passionate following. In Louisiana, LSU reigns and licensed LSU jewelrywill always have a market.

Human nature plays into the niche markets that are selling. Right after the 9/11 tragedy, there was a return to values and inspirational jewelry reflected the thoughts and feelings of consumers who gave more thought to a Higher Being. In fragile economic times that have a high unemployment, the same feelings return, perhaps making us feel guilty as fair weather friends. Nevertheless, inspirational jewelry and giftsare on the upswing. Combining inspirational jewelry and gifts in display tells a story in your shop that will capture the attention of shoppers. This is a niche market that can be uplifting for your clientele.

Study your own customer base and local area for niche markets that work. This is where you have a great advantage over the big box stores that do not have your local input.

PENDANTS AND EARRINGS

“Best Brand” manufactures a superb line of pendants and earrings plus the chokers needed to wear the pendants. Themes are endless in this line that has superior metalwork unchallenged in the fashion jewelry field.

Why does this line keep selling over and over again? Three main reasons—themes, quality, and uniqueness. First, themes are special because they touch the hearts of the buyer. Even a shopper that is not in the market for fashion jewelry cannot pass up a Yorkie pendant if their Yorkshire is dear to them. The same is true for nearly every theme from gardening to motorcycles.

But it is not just the theme; it is the exceptional metalwork that delivers the jewelry that is immediately recognizable with intricate detail. The process of “Best Brand” is unique in the fashion jewelry industry. Most pendants and matching earrings start with a thin sheet of steel that a stamping process presses into a dimensionally raised shape, loaded with detail. Then they cut a back and solder it in place so the pendant or earrings are hollow and lightweight, borrowing a page from puffy sterling silver jewelry. Finally, the jewelry is plated, sometimes epoxied with color, and polished. The manufacturer is proud enough of theses creations to stamp their name on the back of each piece. Retailers are buying the jewelry of future vintage collectors.

Now retailers need chokers and chainsso customers can wear the pendants. “Best Brand” answers that challenge with one of the most extensive lines of fashion chokers. Stock several with your display and price each component in this line separately. That way the customer gets to create their own designs and they may want more than one choker to give different looks to the same pendant. Also the customer can build their own sale that will fit their budget. Whereas, combining pendant, choker, and earrings can elevate the price and put it beyond an impulsive buy.

Make a statement in your shop with this line and you have something unique with practically no competition. Look around online and in brick and mortar shops and you will probably not find this sensational line or anything like it with such high quality. One final reason why customers are constantly reordering this fashion jewelry—the look with pendants on chokers is tailored, a classy accessory for career wear, and it is timeless, never going out of style. This is the line we reorder more than any other. You have hardly any competition in it. So try out this fashion jewelry and see if it helps your summer sales like it is helping other retailers carrying it.

For many fashion businesses, summer months are far from the best of the year. So retailers want to buy cautiously and they want to key in on products that are selling. This blog and the next will review the areas of fashion jewelrythat are doing best, based on our statistics. That statistics have some merit because the customer base has a rather even distribution over the country and includes some international input.

FORMAL JEWELRY

Let’s begin with formal jewelrythat received good coverage earlier this month. Sales in jewelry for bridal and special events are steady. Rhinestone and crystal jewelry along with faux pearl for bridal continue along at a steady pace.

This is steady items that should be part of a fashion jewelry retailer’s inventory, but it is not what we normally think of when we talk about fashion jewelry. Actually, formal jewelry is usually a “must buy” for a special occasion. Casual jewelry on the other hand is what we see in fashion magazines and accessorizing the models on the runways. This fashionable jewelry accessorizes apparel with an up to date statement.

JEWELRY IN THIS SUMMER’S FASHION TRENDS

Long swinging necklacesworn solo or in combinations continue to be stylish. No, they didn’t just arrive on the fashion scene, but they are innovating and that is the lifeblood of a trend. Glass beads spaced on gunmetal plated wire, fire polished faceted glass beading, faux pearl mixed with chain in multiple strands—these are all new expressions in this continuing trend.

Multiple bracelets go along with these necklaces and again this is not shockingly new, but now we are in the heart of summer and the “Brazilian Beat” trend reported by Accessories Magazineis influencing bangles and cuffs with sizzling, vibrant colors. Capture the look in a very summer way by using dyed shell bracelets.

When it comes to shockingly new, statement necklacesdefinitely fit in. Usually crafted in metal with a hand made appearance, these dramatic necklace sets may be a little too edgy for some of your customers. But the tribal looks inspired by craftsmen from India tone down the drama for more traditional bold looks with beading that appears to be hand made relief work of local artists in exotic countries.

Then there are the oversize cocktail ringswith stretch bands. A year ago, Accessories Magazine called this fashion jewelry the sleeper item of the year. Sales have only gone up since then. It is hard to say they aren’t gaudy, but you probably need them in your shop because they just keep on selling.

All this fashion jewelry fits into the trendy category and it is moving, but it is not the cream of the crop in sales. Far better is gemstone jewelry.

Think back to September 11, 2001. The Twin Towers attack shocked the world, bling came to a halt, and caring and classic dominated. Fashion jewelry searched the world for classic art that became the new medium for design. Among the components was gemstone, which out-survived all the others and remains high on the consumers’ list of favorites today.

Again, innovation keeps a trend alive and these trends can span a decade or more. Innovation has gemstone jewelryexcelling over all the more recent trendy jewelry in sales. This popularity is not only true in the statistics of our company, but a casual perusal of the showcases of upscale department stores reveals gemstone jewelry is still high in their opinion also.

Wide polished chip collarsand bracelets in amethyst, coral, or turquoise are there as well as turquoise in abundant designs. Gemstone’s fist cousins of freshwater pearl and shell jewelry are also players.

Turquoise is by far the consumers’ favorite with red coral second. Combinations of the two are also important. Chunky looks with nuggets or polished chips are selling as well as statement necklaces with a large medallion catching attention.

If the public ever gets tired of turquoise, there is an endless list of semi precious stones that can provide interesting natural designs and gorgeous colors all from nature. Agates and jaspers can keep us busy for years. This stuff is fascinating and many semi precious stones are a geology lesson in jewelry with inclusions, banding, and a range of textures and colors. This stuff wasn’t made over night. The website, www.agatelady.comclaims the Lake Superior agate field developed 1.2 billion years ago.

On thing is certain—if you have an interesting display of gemstone jewelry, it will grab attention and you will have plenty to talk about with your customers.

Next blog continues with the two categories of fashion jewelry that require the most frequent reorders by our company.

A good friend and important supplier stopped by recently to show new products in his line. During the conversation, he mentioned another wholesaler wanted him to make some jewelry items that were not his regular line. He said he refused because the wholesaler couldn’t take a large quantity since fashion jewelrywas no good any more.

I was shocked that he said fashion jewelrywas no good when he made his living on the very thing. Then I realized he wasn’t talking about his own line, which consisted of high quality pendants, earrings, and chokers. This is a line that sells very well and we constantly reorder it. The line captures fashion statements as well as every imaginable theme in exceptional detail. He didn’t think of this as fashion jewelry.

Afterwards I thought about the conversation and had to admit that he was right. Retailers are not looking for fashion jewelry. They are looking for niche markets—specifics within the fashion jewelry category. When new merchandise arrives, it goes to rhinestone jewelry, crystal jewelry, CZs, or bridal jewelry. Even casual items find a home in niche markets like cuff bracelets, bangles, statement necklaces, quality glass jewelry, or gemstone.

Fashion jewelry continues to flourish, but the search is for niche markets. Gemstone jewelrycarries a high importance over the last few years. Even today, turquoise is high on the trend list for summer fashion jewelry. However, when we think of it, we think gemstone jewelry.

Rhinestone jewelry is enjoying brisk sales with prom, bridal, and pageant hitting on all cylinders. Again, we don’t think fashion jewelry. No, retailers are looking for prom, pageant, or bridal jewelry. Rhinestone jewelry in bolder designs makes a statement for pageant and even crosses over into bridal for fashion conscious brides applying summer trends in fashion jewelry to wedding day jewelry. And the delicate designs are overwhelmingly popular for prom and most brides.

All the sets previously bunched together as fashion jewelry, now break down to meaningful niches. Dominating the fashion magazines this summer is statement necklaces. By the way, these massive necklaces sets guarantee that fashion jewelry is alive and well. How else can you accomplish the look? Certain to be noticed, the bold necklace sets are mainly constructed with metal designs. Platings vary with pewter and antique silver very popular. The search here is for statement necklaces. We have to ask, when did fashion jewelry give way to all the sub-categories of jewelry?

Looking back at fashion jewelry in the 21st century reveals what is going on. The new century came in with bling the rage—the look of exaggerated opulence with super-sized stones. Then the shock of the Twin Towers attack on Sept 11, 2001 suddenly brought everything to a halt with all eyes glued to the devastation on our TV screens. The nation pulled together and values suddenly reemerged.

Caring for neighbors overtook selfish feelings and jewelry reflected the mood of the times. Bling vanished and true beauty of classic materials and designs surfaced. No longer was fashion jewelry a generic category. Instead, the worldwide search for art in jewelry saw the rise of gemstone, Murano style glass, crystal, shell and classic components both man-made and natural. The dominating characteristic of jewelry was classic with universal appeal. Overnight the jewelry that appealed to a woman also appealed to her mother, daughter, and grandmother. This is the universal beauty of art and the accessories were too special to lump together as fashion jewelry.

Under the radar, the trend continued to the present day. Each of the niche markets in fashion jewelry is special and important whereas the lump sum category called fashion jewelry has lost its shine. So the conclusion is yes, fashion jewelry has vanished from consumers’ attention, but all those sub-categories of jewelry are more important than ever. Actually, without them the dramatic statement necklaces seen in every fashion magazine and classic gemstone jewelry that marches on and on would not be possible. The elegance of bridal and prom jewelry would not grace the special occasions. And mesmerizing beauty of man-made art in glass jewelry and crystal brooches would not be possible. So each sub-category flourishes like never before while some say fashion jewelry is dead.